Join Max Whittle, Mike Tuck and Mo Mooncey for an NBA Sunday double-header featuring Bucks @ Hornets (6pm) and 76ers @ Clippers (8:30pm) live on Sky Sports Arena
Sunday 1 March 2020 21:36, UK
Who will prevail in this weekend's NBA Sunday Primetime games live on Sky Sports? Ovie Soko previews Bucks @ Hornets and 76ers @ Clippers.
I saw the Bucks beat the Hornets in Paris in January and I expect to see a similar result in this game.
The approach of the Milwaukee Bucks is just so business-like. They go into games unfazed by the competition and play the exact same way every time out.
I saw Giannis Antetokounmpo get a technical foul going for an offensive rebound at a point when the team were 29 points up against the Detroit Pistons - that shows you a lot about this Bucks team. Their leader playing with that much energy, even in a situation where they had a game completely in hand. You don't normally see that from a superstar player.
As a player, Giannis is a guy who is never satisfied so, I think the prospect of leading Milwaukee to 70 wins will be there somewhere deep in the back of his mind as a motivational factor. But more than that, I think the team's main driving force is getting back to the playoffs and putting things right given how things ended for them last season (the Bucks lost 4-2 to the Toronto Raptors in the Eastern Conference Finals after leading the series 2-0).
Everyone knows they got taken care of last season and I think that has stuck in their mind. I think they can't wait to get back to the postseason for the chance to put things right. That's their prime motivation, that's all they see.
I can't see Milwaukee slowing up. They will keep tweaking, adjusting and preparing for the playoffs and getting ready to compete for a championship. That's their main focus.
The 76ers are great at home but 'doo-doo' on the road! They are so up and down. We have seen inconsistency from the Clippers this season too, but not to the level Philadelphia have shown. The Clippers have a bit more maturity in their locker room and that has pulled them out of the mud at times.
I can't see the 76ers switching much up and, with Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons both doubtful because of injury (Embiid has a strained shoulder while Simmons has a nerve impingement in his back), I think this a hard one for them to win on the road.
The Clippers have been busy over the last couple of weeks, trading for Marcus Morris and picking up Reggie Jackson after he was bought out of his contract in Detroit. On paper, especially the Jackson pick-up, it looks great but you run the risk of bringing too many guys in.
One of the things that the Clippers really dangerous is Lou Williams being the go-to guy of their second unit. He can create and is a very capable scorer. Now they have bought in someone in Jackson who is similar - though not the same calibre of scorer - and likes and needs the ball in his hands. Does that take something away from 'Lou Will'? How well will they be able to play off each other?
The Lakers have got stronger by picking up a player in the buy-out market, former Detroit Piston Markieff Morris, who will not alter how they play. He fits into what they already do. I'm not sure the Clippers can say the same about their acquisitions.
The Clippers could be hurting themselves here. We'll see if that's the case over the course of the next couple of months.
